Just received an email froma driver who is also passionate about protecting the environment but at the same time...want to keep moving

And the driver mentionned the use of LPG for the car.

Any driver on the forum are using LPG ? What are the advantage / Disadvantage of the solution ?
Many people don t want to make the move due to fear of driving with GAS. Is that justified ?

Let us know

Sat Dec 09, 2006 11:42 am

shep

Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 4:26 pmPosts: 1

yes i run my transit van on lpg. the main advantage for me is a substantail reduction in cost. on the downside you are limited where you can buy fuel, and sometimes if you are in an unknown area it can be difficult to find suppliers.
lpg does have cleaner emmisions than other fuels, however it still does nothing to weeken our reliance on fossil fuels. we should still be trying to reduce the amount we drive and use public transport when we can. im more sold on the idea of electric cars where car journeys are apsolutely nessasary. check out the g wizz at ******.goingreen.co.uk/ these little cars are great although they are only suitable for shorter journeys. in theory you can charge them from a renewable energy tarriff, which meens you are investing in green solutions. i even know someone who is building a solar array on top of his which will trickle charge the batteries to keep them topped up. in london these cars are conjestion charge exempt, tax exempt, they get free parking in westminster, and cheap rates in other parts of the city and no pricey fossil fuels needed. works about about a penny a mile for eleccy.

Sun Dec 10, 2006 5:08 pm

carshare

Site Admin

Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 7:27 pmPosts: 53

I do agree about relying on fossil fuels.

Do you have any photos of your friend with the solar array ? Any feedback yet on that ?

Do you have the Gwhiz...I found it great too...but just wondering if any feed back from users regarding the batteries. I must say that I am extremely sceptical about the state of the battery in 2 years time. On the goingreen website, they mention the Lithium Ion...which is the same as the laptop and some mobile phone...and we all know that after a year or two...performance are not the same.

Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:15 pm

Jackie

Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:02 amPosts: 2

Hi, whilst I was looking for car share in the Northeast I noticed the LPG discussion. We convert vehicles from petrol to LPG in Durham and have averaged 4 to 5 cars per week for some 7 years now. I would agree that in order to take green transport to the next level our reliance upon fossil fuels must be addressed, and alternatives are becoming considerably more viable. However, at this moment in time LPG is an economic and environmental option for the short term.
In answer to LPG availability across the UK you can visit ******.lpga.co.uk for a link to the Energy Savings Trust and Boost LPG websites for a map of all LPG retail sites, these also include non-forecourt like ourselves who have bunkered gas.
In terms of safety, LPG is as safe as any other fuel source if installed correctly, I would suggest to anyone considering a conversion to use and LPGA approved installer. These members adhere to codes of practice laid out by the governing body- the LPGas Association. This is designed to ensure the safety and reliable for the driver and passengers. It may well be worth noting that NOT all LPG converts are members of this association.
I'll be happy to answer any questions/queries ref conversions if it helps anyone. Back to my car share mission......

Mon Dec 11, 2006 12:24 pm

fififf

Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 5:33 pmPosts: 1

Just joined and wanted to say I thought this was a great site. Keep up the good work and the good car sharing.